Being Faithful with Little

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much” Luke 16:10a

Cold rain hits the windshield followed by the irritating scrape of the wipers as my car slides through the darkness. Not a great night for going out. Not a great day in general. All my worries and annoyances are riding along in the passenger seat, urging me to just turn around and go back home. It’s dark. It’s late. It’s raining. I’m trying to find the delicate balance between warmth and fog on my windshield, while constantly reworking the climate controls. Is this worth it?

Why venture out into the unknown? Especially when it’s warm and dry back at home? I have a cozy blanket and a steaming mug where I can just stare out the window protected from the wind and biting rain. Why leave?

Then you get a text. Can you talk? Can you meet? Can you help?

The answer can’t always be yes, but I’m trying to be open to being uncomfortable. To venturing out in a place that is not my forte. Being willing when it’s inconvenient. Saying “Here am I, Lord, send me.”

Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8

I used to think serving the Lord meant going on a mission trip or leading a Bible study, but it is not limited to these big or maybe intimidating acts. As Christians, we are called to Kingdom work and there are oh, so many jobs. You don’t need to go to seminary and become a pastor or start a non-for-profit to be about “The Father’s business.” You can start small and close to home. You can start with “very little.”

Perhaps you have a very young and growing family and you can barely get in a hot shower, let alone, further God’s kingdom. It’s so often a time of feeling like you have very little. Very little time. Very little sleep. Very little cognitive thought past if you can wear these leggings one more day. Ironically, I found this season of my life to be very fruitful for ministry. When I had the least to give, God used me the most. Of course, we have a built-in audience with our own little ones (and this can be a topic all on its own). But I have found being a parent has put me in unique situations to speak and minister to other mothers. We are in the thick of it together; the not sleeping, constant question answering, no alone time thing. We talk over screaming kids at playdates and sit by each other screaming for our kids in sports bleachers. As we raise our kids, we walk side by side through the ups and downs of life . . . and listen to each others’ hearts.

It felt like at times, I had little to give in this season, I could speak truth, show kindness and give encouragement. I could share the hope of Christ Jesus. These women have been my ministry and they have ministered to me. Not all our conversations went somewhere, but some went really far. It’s not my job to judge the outcome but to just give from the little I have.

Who is in your life at this season? Who can you connect with that is naturally in your sphere right now? Ironically, I went into motherhood focused on its limitations but found it to be an incredibly fruitful field. Have you forgotten that you can give from your very little? Snippets of conversations with parents in the concessions stands, texts with that new young woman at the office that seems a little lost, an encouraging note left on your neighbor’s door.

Perhaps you are not overwhelmed with a family at this season of life. You have time but, your insecurities hold you back. “I’m not good with people. I don’t know what to say. I would do it all wrong. I have nothing to give” There are many ways to serve and to give, but sometimes God asks us to step out and do something that is uncomfortable. Moses was called, yet he complained of not being a good speaker. By many accounts, Peter and other disciples are labeled “uneducated,” ordinary men who were poor and lacked training. I have found the best training is to just get out there and talk and minister to people. When I get stuck, well, that’s where I need to study. I was once in a taxi with some new friends and they asked me what it meant to be born again. Well, I had never been asked that before and had no good answer. I stumbled around for what to say, but in the end, I knew I needed a good answer and I better find one. I started researching my beliefs. Nothing will spur you on like not knowing! Little is much in the hands of God . . .

I think of the widow Jesus commended in Luke 21:1–4: “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” This woman gave “very little” in the eyes of the world, yet she gave what she had. How often are we called to give to a point that is uncomfortable. It may not be money, but time or a place and you feel as if you have but two mites to give. A friend needs encouragement and you yourself can hardly get out of bed. A family member needs hope and you feel as if you have none to give. A co-worker asks a spiritual question to which you don’t really have an answer. But you throw your mites in the offering plate. You get out of bed and meet the friend for coffee, you speak of the hope we are given when your own heart is broken and you promise to do the research to find the answer. You give your mites.

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. Matthew 25:21

A few years ago I was asked to join a prayer team. Let me tell you, prayer was not really my thing. I was told this prayer team met and prayed for hours. Hours! Look, a few years ago, I could barely pray 20 minutes. I would stammer and awkwardly say the same catchphrases everyone uses. Um… Lord please bless this thing we are praying about, heal the aforementioned sick people. I could add a few sentences to a group prayer, but outside of that I was not only intimidated by long prayers, I found them (whispering) boring. A prayer team? Like all they do is pray? Is there even coffee and cookies? I’m going to need a lot of caffeine and sugar.

In the time prior to this invitation, I had been slowly upping my prayer life. Through the guidance of a Bible study teacher, I was starting to grasp the importance of warfare prayer. I had read a few books on the topic (and of course the Bible). I listened to podcasts on prayer and repeated the prayers at the end. Repeating prayers was like riding a bike with training wheels. Simply saying what other more experienced warfare warriors said helped me learn to get my balance. I could ride longer with the help. I could leave the driveway and do a loop around the neighborhood. I started to modify and make the prayers my own. Soon I could make long strives without needing to lean on others. I practiced praying scripture, especially the Psalms. My mindset changed. Where before I saw prayer as important (isn’t it the safe answer to almost every Sunday school question after all), I now began to get it on a deeper level. Prayer was not important, it was vital, it was necessary. Prayer started (slowly) to take a prominent place in my life. I was even (gulp) offering to prayer with people in public, sometimes strangers. Who was I?

Yet, when this opportunity to be on a prayer team was offered, I did not jump at the chance. I could pray longer, sure. I had more wisdom in this area and more confidence, yet I did not love the idea of praying for hours. Although I said yes, I found myself looking for ways to get out of it; oh . . . that’s a bad time, that’s a long drive, I even got grumpy about it being at dinner time. I’ll admit I went in with a bad attitude. Driving to my first meeting, I was not happy. I was not in a right place of mind, say, to pray for hours!!

But . . . I drove there.

It was uncomfortable. I wanted to stay home and apparently eat dinner. But I kept driving. I got out of the car and I went inside and I showed up. And God met me there. He wouldn’t force me through the door, but once I was inside, he helped me off with my jacket of doubt. He met me right in that prayer group. And the training wheels came off. I prayed for hours. I prayed till I lost my voice. I was supposed to be there. That night was a turning point in my prayer life and my ministry life.

Ministry does not always feel this way. I have served in the nursery and thought, nope . . . this is not for me. I can do it in a pinch, but I feel the pinch (ya know?). Ministry can have lots of different feels. It can be hard and clunky, it can be smooth and rewarding. Areas we are good at can feel hard and areas we are bad at can, at times, feel easy. Working for God is hard work. But if we are faithful with little he will give us much.

Has the Lord has been asking you to step out in a spiritual way?

Start a Bible study (or invite that friend to a Bible study).

Be more bold in sharing the Gospel (or when someone says something that sounds like it would be good a bumper sticker, but isn’t biblical, humbly speak up).

Foster parent (or invite your kid’s friends to listen to the Bible after dinner).

Fundraise for that ministry (or instead of another shirt/mascara/extra large mocha give that money to a worthy cause).

Say something that points to the Lord next time you have opportunity (or pray for that person/situation in your head).

It’s okay to start small. Just start.

Very little can turn into very much.

Check out my Website: The Demitasse Drafts